ST. LOUIS ENCEPHALITIS RULED OUT

Paul Blackinton, the Cooper City man suspected of suffering from St. Louis encephalitis, does not have the deadly disease, health officials said on Monday.

Blackinton was given a more definitive battery of tests two weeks ago after preliminary studies indicated he might have encephalitis, said Broward County Epidemiologist Robert Tomchik. The second set of tests were negative.

Officials at the Broward County Public Health unit said on Monday they were still unsure exactly what illness Blackinton does have and were doing more medical tests.

Blackinton, 66, started to feel disoriented and weak on his right side on April 3. He was in a coma 18 days before awakening on Saturday, said his daughter, Robin Gale of Cooper City.

Blackinton remained disoriented on Monday, but Gale said she was able to feed him baby food. He was listed in stable condition at Imperial Point Medical Center.

Florida usually has one to five cases of St. Louis encephalitis each year and an outbreak every 10 years or so.